Summer of Our Lives
by Love in a Mist
Summary: Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie plan to go on a fun road trip for the summer, but much to Bonnie's chagrin, Damon decides to tag along. They bicker like cats and dogs, with Damon still in pursuit of Elena. Could this end well for Bonnie?
1. Virginia:The First Day

Bonnie Bennett grumpily huffed as the car took another sharp turn and she was forcedly pushed against Damon again. She scowled when he smiled cheekily at her.

"Someone please tell me why we're doing this again?"

"Because we decided to take some time off from everything and just have some fun," Elena's voice drifted from the shotgun seat.

"If your idea of fun is to go on a TWO MONTH road trip with THIS guy-"Bonnie jerked a thumb toward Damon.

"Believe me, Bonnie," Stefan glared at his older brother via rearview mirror. "He was NOT supposed to be coming with us."

"Aww, you guys make me feel so wanted!" Damon chuckled, winking at Bonnie.

Bonnie in turn rolled her dark green eyes at him. The original plan was for Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena's little brother Jeremy (a.k.a. Bonnie's current crush) to go on a summer long road trip across the country for summer vacation. Unfortunately, Jeremy had some summer classes he needed to attend to, and Caroline had to go to Florida to visit her ill grandmother. That left Bonnie with the lovebirds: Stefan and Elena. Damon was, of course, uninvited, but when heard about a road trip with _Elena_ that was going to be _all summer long_, he signed himself up. And now, poor Bonnie was stuck with the very person (er, vampire) she hated-the psychotic, obnoxious, flirtatious, lecherous, admittedly kind of hot, playboy Damon, who was obsessed with her best friend. _Great._ It wasn't very helpful to know that her two actual friends were most likely going to be sucking face the entire trip either. Bonnie was beginning to regret the whole thing.

"Elenaaaaaa," Damon whined. "I'm boreeeedd."

_So is everyone else in this car_. Figured he was trying to get Elena's attention again. Bonnie leaned her head against the side of the car and looked out the window.

"I'm sorry you are," Stefan said through gritted teeth. "But you'll just have to find some way to occupy yourself."

"I was talking to Elena, little brother," Damon snapped.

"Damon, please," Elena pleaded, beautiful face contorted by worry and exasperation.

"Whatever. This trip BLOWS," he complained.

For once, Bonnie agreed, but she kept her mouth shut. Why hadn't she made up some random excuse to stay at home with Jeremy? Why had she agreed to go on the trip and be a fourth wheel in this Stefan-Elena-Damon triangle? She sighed. She'll just have to try to make the best of it. They were, after all, going across the country. What could go wrong aside from the fact that they might get randomly attacked by some killer vampires looking for Elena? Everyone stayed in peaceful silence for five minutes until Damon opened his big mouth again.

"Sooo… you've been awfully quiet, Bonnie," he tried, averting his usual attention to Elena to her now.

Bonnie simply ignored him. She was not in the mood and she wasn't going to take part in his little games. She watched him from the corner of her eye and smirked when he pouted.

"I _saw _that, witchy-poo," he said, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Don't pretend that I'm not here."

She ignored him again, looking out the window again. Trees, trees, and nothing but trees. She mentally added trees along with road trips to her list of dislike. Urk. Suddenly, she felt a light poke in her deltoid. And another. And another. And yet another. _What the hell? _She whipped around to find Damon repeatedly poking her in the arm, grinning away like the madman he was.

"What. Exactly. Are. You. Doing," she asked, punctuating each word as she tried to stay as calm as she possibly could.

Damon rolled his bright blue eyes that were full of mischief.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm poking you in the arm to get your attention. Duh."

"Do that again and I swear I'll-I'll-"

"You'll what? Stutter at me?" Damon's trademark smirk was in place. "Please, Bennett, you couldn't hurt me if you tri-owowowow OW!"

"You were saying?" Bonnie asked icily, eyebrow raised.

He glared at her, and she knew, if looks could kill, she would be dead. And then come back to life only to be killed again.

"Really? That was uncalled for! You bitch-OW! Stop it! Elena! Bonnie's giving me unnecessary aneurysms!"

"I'm sorry, Bonnie. But no aneuyrsms in the car!" Stefan called out to her from the front.

"But he was pissing me off!" she weakly protested.

"Because you weren't entertaining me when I needed to be entertained!" Damon yelled at her. "I'm a vampire with needs!"

"I don't care about your damn needs! You need to be entertained, entertain yourself!"

Damon gave her a look.

"You are a cruel, cruel woman."

"ENOUGH!" Stefan roared. "Damon, please! Bonnie, again, I'm sorry…"

Bonnie folded her arms across her chest.

"No, it's fine. I get it, Stefan. No aneurysms unless absolutely necessary, and no trying to burn his nuts off or anything like that."

"Thank you."

Elena shot her friend am apologetic look, and Damon flashed her a sunny smile.

**Bonnie Bennett**: i'm stuck in a car w/ DAMON FREAKING SALVATORE for 2 whole months. FML.

(**29** people like this)

(**view all 43 comments…)**

**Jeremy Gilbert**: D: sorry, bon. stuck with damon… ugh. wish i can b there 4 u. :( sorry!

(**Bonnie Bennett** likes this)

**Bonnie Bennett**: aw, thanks jer. 3 ugh, ikr? I'll just have to deal. no, it's ok, i'll be fine! :) well, as fine as u can b w/ damon. :P

**Caroline Forbes**: i'm sorry too. :( hope you have fun w/ elena and stefan anyways! Missing you, hunny!

**Bonnie Bennett**: it's ok, caroline. :) I miss u 2! Hope ur grandma's doing ok!

**Damon Salvatore**: **Caroline Forbes**: pffhhh, she's old. She's better off dead! Aww, bon, you made a status about me! ;) I never knew…

**Bonnie Bennett**: stfu. wait, i thought i rejected ur friend request and blocked u! wtf!

**Damon Salvatore**: u did. but i hacked back in2 ur account, then unblocked and friended myself. nifty, eh? i am a man of many talents. ;) o, and don't even think about defriending me, i'll just hack back in. :D

**Bonnie Bennett**: SCREW. U. …who has 2500+ friends?

**Damon Salvatore**: i can't help the fact that i'm amazingly attractive and every1 wants 2 b my friend. (p.s. bbluvjg101 is a lame password. how obvious can u get?)

**AN: Hey, everyone! *waves hand wildly* I'm new to fanfiction (well, not new to it, but this is my first story. :D)! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this! Yes, it's going to be Bamon with a side dish of Stelena, if you guys are okay with that. I'm starting school in a few days, so I won't be able to post as often as I'd like to. :/ Nevertheless, I'll try to update ASAP, and I already have the 2****nd ****chapter written out on paper so I'll try to get that up soon. Bamon might be slowburn or whatever, depends on how I feel about it, lol. I'd appreciate it if you can review, and constructive criticism is very much welcomed! Thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter! **


	2. Kentucky: Prologue

**Thank you, THANK YOU to all of you who reviewed, faved, added this to their story alerts, etc., etc., etc.! *gives all of you a giant hug* Bet you didn't expect me to update quickly, eh? You've all convinced me to type up this chapter and put it up! SQUEE! I'm really glad you're all liking this! I don't think this chapter's all that funny or anything, but it is longer, and I hope you enjoy it all the same. :) Prepare for a long author's note near the end! **

**Disclaimer (because this dork forgot one in the first chapter): I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

After spending a day and night (where Damon had offered the girls to be their "sleeping buddy" and promptly got kicked out) in the car yesterday, Bonnie had already gotten car sick. Not car sick as in, "I-feel-nauseous-and-I-think-I-will-throw-up-on-you" car sick, but as in "I'm-really-sick-of-this-car" sick.

"Um, Stefan? Not to be rude or anything, but are we there yet?" she asked, starting to get a little aggravated.

Bonnie had never liked being cooped up in one place for too long, and especially if they were in a moving vehicle, like say STEFAN'S CAR.

"Sorry, we're still miles away from getting to Kentucky," Stefan apologized, and she inwardly groaned.

Despite having vampire speed in driving, Stefan was overcautious. That meant he was a very safe driver, which meant their car was travelling at the speed of a snail. Yippee.

"Kentucky? As in Kentucky Fried Chicken?" Damon, who had stayed shockingly quiet up until this point, asked. "Yum."

Bonnie frowned in confusion.

"I thought you guys didn't eat human food because you're vampires."

"We don't. I was referring to cashier ladies," Damon explained. "They taste delicious. Probably all that fried chicken."

"Nice to know," Bonnie said, grimacing at the thought of it.

"Blood's not all that bad you know," he said. "Don't knock it 'til you try it!"

"The only thing I'll be knocking is your teeth out of your mouth."

"OUCH," Damon made a face at her, sticking his tongue out at her like a three year old.

"I _need_ to get out of this car PRONTO," she said fervently, scrambling around in her seat.

"Please, you just can't get enough of me," he teased, smiling the same old smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I swear to God I will set you on fire one day, Damon. And Stefan and Elena won't be there to help you," Bonnie muttered darkly, pulling at her long dark curls.

"I don't think God will appreciate you swearing at him."

"Ugh, whatever ," she said, turning away from him.

Damon turned to Elena instead.

"How you doing?"

"Uh…fine?"

"I'm really sorry for being so difficult, but is there _anywhere_ we can stop the car and get out?" Bonnie was pleading now.

"YES! I want OUT of this car," Damon exclaimed, and Bonnie looked at him curiously.

They were agreeing on something for the second time, the first being the promise to protect Elena. It felt strange, and she didn't really like it. Oh, well. She was going to be stuck with him for two months, so she'd better get along with him even though she didn't want to. She watched as Stefan seemed to consider her idea.

"Maybe…"Elena pulled out a map for him and glanced over it for a few minutes. "Hey! There's an old fifties diner a few miles off here! We could go there if you like."

"Sounds good," Bonnie agreed, her spirits lifting now.

It was a chance to get out of the car, AND get to eat something other than the Cool Ranch Doritos from the snack bag they brought with them. Why not? Damon groaned.

"I HATED the 1950s," he said. "It was such a bore!"

"Really? I liked the fifties," Stefan said, but his older brother merely scoffed.

"My point EXACTLY," he said, and a corner of Bonnie's mouth quirked into a teeny tiny smile.

Unfortunately, the devil noticed, and he winked at her. She shook her head, and flushed a little in embarrassment. _Do not fraternize with the enemy._

* * *

><p>Everyone let out a whoop of delight as they finally got to the diner. Bonnie could hardly wait to get out as Stefan smoothly parked his black Buick Enclave into a designated parking spot.<p>

"Freedom!" Bonnie cried, climbing out of the car at once.

"Ha-ha," Stefan said, smiling with good nature as he graciously helped Elena out of the car.

"Hey, now, I think I can get out of a car by myself, don't you think?" Elena teased, her smile dazzling as she accepted her boyfriend's outstretched hand.

"Oh, I don't know," Stefan said, still grinning. "I'm just here to help out ladies in need."

Damon was glaring daggers at them, so Bonnie quickly interjected to get rid of the tension.

"Aren't I a lady in need?" she playfully pushed Stefan.

"You're fully capable, Bonnie," he bounced back. "I think we all saw how you got out of the car."

They all laughed, and Bonnie felt happy to share moments like these with her friends.

"Hey, not trying to rain on your parade, but shouldn't we be going in now?" Damon interrupted, raising an eyebrow as he held the door to the diner open.

"Sorreee," Bonnie muttered to herself as she fell in line behind Elena and Stefan.

Damon was such a pooper. As she walked in, Damon followed in and behind her, but not before the door slammed into Bonnie's arm.

"Ow!" she yelped, and watched as her blood oozed out from the new cut on her arm.

Elena rushed over to her and watched worriedly as both Stefan and Damon's eyes grew smaller and blacker.

"Shit, Bonnie, I'm sorry," Damon said, surprisingly looking genuinely apologetic and concerned.

"No, it's fine," she said, but he reached for her arm all the same and examined it. "It doesn't hurt at all or anything, it's just a little cut."

"You should be glad it isn't a deep cut, "he said, frowning as if she got herself cut on purpose.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," she shot back, and he smiled.

"Guilty," he replied. "Here…You want some of my blood?" He offered up his wrist.

"Ew, no thanks," she crinkled up her nose. "And not in public!"

Stefan gently pushed Damon back.

"She's right, Damon. Everyone's already kind of watching us because Bonnie just got cut by the bitchy door. We don't want to attract attention by having you give her bl-"

"Are you ok, miss?"

They all turned as a pretty-faced, busty blonde came hurrying over to Bonnie.

"I'm a waitress here, and I saw your arm bleeding… Is everything all right?" she asked, big blue eyes wide with concern.

"She's fine, she just got cut by the door," Damon answered, and the waitress blushed as she got a good look at his face, and Damon beamed at her charmingly.

"Um…" the girl seemed lost in his face for couple moments before snapping back to reality. "Sorry-Do you want me to take care of that for you? We have a first aid kit in the back room," she offered.

"Actually, that would be great," Bonnie said gratefully, and looked at Elena who still seemed visibly anxious. "I'll be fine, guys! Go ahead and order while she's taking care of my arm. I'll have whatever Elena's having."

"Ok, then," Elena said, shooting her _another _"Please-be-very-very-careful" look before looping her arm through Stefan's and going up to the line.

"See you, Bonnie," Damon called over his shoulder as he trailed the others to the line.

Blondie led Bonnie to the dark back room, where she rummaged for the first aid kit.

"This is really nice of you," Bonnie said, sitting down on a stack of empty boxes.

The other girl smiled at her as she finally found the white box, and she opened it.

"Oh, it's no problem! I like being able to help people out," she said cheerily.

"Thanks again," Bonnie said. "And, uh, I didn't quite catch your name… Mine's Bonnie."

"Whoops, I'm always forgetting to introduce myself," the girl giggled, and Bonnie missed Caroline terribly. "I'm Celine. Nice to meet you, Bonnie!"

"That's a pretty name," she complimented. "Of all the names to get, I get stuck with Bonnie!"

"I wouldn't say that," Celine said kindly, now dabbing first aid cream on her cut. "Bonnie's a nice name. Sweet and simple. Speaking of names…would you mind telling me your friend's name?" she asked shyly.

"Which one?" Bonnie asked, though she knew EXACTLY who her newfound friend meant.

"The cute tall boy," Celine said, blushing as she was sticking a Band-Aid over the cut. "The one with the messy dark hair and blue eyes."

"You mean Damon?"

"Is that his name? Damon. I like that," she tittered again, face now completely red.

This was DEFINITELY reminding her of Caroline. Bonnie felt her stomach clench with worry for Celine.

"Do you like him?" she asked, trying to remain oblivious about it.

"Oh, n- no! Well, I mean… He's really… Maybe I do," Celine confessed, staring at the tiled floor.

"Do yourself a favor," Bonnie said firmly. "I know Damon. He…he likes playing around with girls a lot," she said. _As in, he plays with them and then drains their blood. And sometimes he kills them. Sometimes. _"You don't want to get involved with him. Heck, even _I _don't really like him."

"Thank you for being concerned about me, Bonnie," the blonde girl said gently, her smile unbelievably kind like Elena's. "But I think I can handle myself just fine. I've lived by myself all my life and I had to raise all my little brothers and sisters. I think I can handle a guy."

_But he's not just any guy! He's DAMON! As in sexy, older danger guy! And he's a VAMPIRE! _Bonnie wanted to scream at Celine and shake her shoulders, telling her to run away and never come back.

"Well…ok, then," she said instead, feeling guilty. "Just take my advice and be careful, ok?"

Celine smiled again, and she led Bonnie back out. Bonnie found her trio waving at her from a nearby table.

"Thanks, Bonnie, I will. Don't worry about me!" she said. "I'll bring you guys your food," she told the others.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Damon winked at her, and Celine scurried away, face the color of a tomato.

"Damon," Bonnie hissed as she slid into the seat next to Elena and across from him.

"Bonnie," he said smugly back at her as he absentmindedly played around with a napkin in his hands. "Like my napkin crane?"

"I'm warning you, LEAVE CELINE ALONE," Bonnie whispered-said, grabbing the napkin crane and ribbing it apart, and Stefan and Elena looked confused as they strained to hear what she was saying. "She's a really nice girl and she _likes_ you if you could believe it-"

"And I do," Damon smirked. "How can you not like this?"

"Well, I don't," she snapped, and he pretended to look hurt.

"Aww, Bon, you're killing me here!"

"Damon I will cut you like a-"

"Order 23, coming right up!" Celine came back, sliding steaming trays of burgers and fries complete with milkshakes onto their table. "Hope you guys like it!"

"Thanks," Bonnie said grinning at the sight of food, and Celine winked at her.

"So, what's a lovely little lady like you doing in an old broken-down diner like this?" Damon asked sweetly, grabbing Celine's hand and kissing it gently.

Stefan and Bonnie both gave him a warning glare, which he either didn't see, or saw or ignored. Celine fidgeted, looking uncomfortably pleased.

"I work here full-time to support my family," she said softly. "I have a lot of younger siblings, and my parents died when I was young."

Damon could've been an actor, because he wore the most sympathetic look on his face. _What a fake_, Bonnie thought, still glaring at him over a mouthful of hamburger. Damn. This was good.

"Poor you. Why don't you sit with us for a while?"

"I'd like to but I better get back to work-"

"You will sit with us and not go back to work," Damon said, looking directly into her eyes.

"He did not just compel that poor girl!" Elena gasped.

"He just did," Bonnie muttered back.

Throughout the rest of lunch, Bonnie tried to enjoy the rest of her meal but could not help staring over at Damon and Celine. _Bleh._ Just looking at Damon made her want to lose her appetite. Not that he was gross looking or anything. He was actually pretty hot. And he had such a nice smile… _Snap out of it, woman. Yes, Damon is very attractive, but don't let his good looks suck you in .Bad, bad Bonnie. BAD_, she mentally scolded herself. The duo were still laughing and talking, and Celine whispered something Bonnie couldn't make out. Damon nodded, and Celine left after kissing him on the cheek.

"Sorry, guys, but I gotta mosey on out for a few minutes," he said, looking pleased with himself. "I'll only be a few minutes, so go on ahead to the car."

Bonnie grabbed his hand, and he smirked at her.

"You're holding my hand," he said smugly. "What would Celine think of this?"

"Damon. Please don't hurt her. I'm begging you."

He stepped closer to her, and she felt uncomfortable from the close proximity of their faces.

"You can't order me around, Bennett," he snarled. "I can do whatever the hell I want to do."

"I'm just telling you to be careful with her," she said, feeling his warm breath on her face.

She held his gaze defiantly for a few moments before he broke it off and started making his way over to Celine.

"Please don't-"she tried to call over to him one last time, and he whipped around.

"Sorry, Bon-Bon, but din-din is calling my name," he smirked at her again, and then he was gone.

"Ughhh," Bonnie slumped in her seat, feeling useless and frustrated.

Stefan patted her on the arm.

"I know you're worried about that girl, but I'm sure she'll be fine," he said, sounding unsure of himself.

"Fine? Fine? Stefan, this is Damon we're talking about!" Bonnie yelled at him, starting to stand up, but sat back down once she noticed everyone starting to stare at her.

"All I'm saying is that you can't boss him around," Stefan said. "Trust him a little and give him room, and he'll listen."

"Whatever," she said, crossing her arms. "Let's just go."

She winced as she heard a blood-curdling scream as they left. _Poor, poor Celine. _Bonnie was fastening her seatbelt when Damon rejoined the group and climbed into the seat next to hers.

"Damon, what about the people in the diner?" Stefan asked quietly.

"Compulsion," he shrugged, and he looked expectantly at Bonnie.

"I'm not talking to you," she said, turning her face away from him.

"But you just did," he chuckled, and she could hear the laughter in his voice.

"How could you?" she said, trembling. "How could you do that her? Are you even human?"

"That's just the thing, Bonnie," Damon's reply came. "I'm _not_. I'm worse. I'm a _vampire_. And if it makes you feel any better, I didn't drain her I usually do. You kinda spoiled my appetite, so I just cleaned her head right off."

Bonnie ignored him and tried hard not to cry as Stefan wordlessly pulled out of the parking lot.

**AN: Wow. That was depressing. I know! I know! I tried to make this all happy and funny, but instead I just made this chapter all angsty at the end! D: It's way too early for any drama! I hope you guys were okay with Celine. I normally don't like putting in random made up characters in my fanfics, but for the purposes of the chapter I did. Sowwy. :( It'll get better later, I swear. xD So, just to fill you guys in, they're taking a road trip starting from Virginia all the way to California. Yeah, I'm skipping West Virginia and going over to Kentucky (sorry, West Virginia) and they're not going to be visiting every state or whatever, that would be INSANE and my brain would explode. It might be a little fast-paced, but let's just blame that on vampire speed. Again, thanks for all the kind reviews! 3 zozo42 (btw, I love your bamon stories, eek!): Thank you for your feedback on the FB thing! :D I'm glad it made you laugh, though. Just to let you know, the FB thing might be popping out once every couple of chapters (though not too often), so I hope you don't mind! :) I'm working on the third chapter as we speak-er, uh, as you're reading this! Ok, that was long. Reviews and constructive criticism are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading! **


	3. Kentucky:Arrival

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries. Or Kentucky. **

"Welcome to the Bluegrass state," Stefan announced, the Buick passing over the borderline. "Home of Abraham Lincoln."

"No one cares, Stefan. No one," Damon called over to him, and Stefan ignored him.

"Hey, be nice," Bonnie said, elbowing him in the stomach.

Stefan looked over his shoulder where Damon and Bonnie were finally on speaking terms, but that didn't mean Bonnie forgave Damon for the diner incident yet.

"Come on, you two," Stefan tried to say in a cheerful tone. "We're going to be spending a lot of time with each other!"

"Oh, joy," Damon said dryly, sarcasm clearly evident in his tone of voice.

"Oh, come on guys, this is going to be fun!" Elena said, trying to bring some light into the mood. "It's Kentucky! We made it in time for the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Derby Festival! It's going to be great! There's going to be horses, and balloon races, and-"

Damon grabbed her hand and looked deep into her eyes.

"Elena. We could care less at the moment."

"Oh. Well I thought-"Elena started, but Damon shushed her.

"Well, you thought wrong, didn't you?"

Elena grew silent, and Stefan glared at his brother. He sighed and rubbed his girlfriend's arm to comfort her.

"It's late now, so we should turn in to the hotel I booked before we got here," he said cautiously, looking at Bonnie, who still was rather moody. "I already got us a room and everything."

"How the heck did you book a hotel so fast?" she asked quietly, pulling at her hair.

"I'm a vampire. 'Nuff said," Stefan said, smiling at her.

"Hold, on," she said, holding up her palm in a "STOP" manner. "You said ROOM. As in one room?"

"Uh, yes?" he answered, failing to see what was so special about that.

"So we're all going to be sharing a room. I'm going to share a room with DAMON."

_Crap. _Damon perked up instantly, a smile making a way across his beautiful face.

"I call the bed with Elena! Or Bonnie, since it seems to bother you so much," he said, slinging an arm around her.

"You are NOT sharing a bed with Elena," Stefan said immediately. "And definitely not Bonnie. Damon will be sharing with me."

"Ewww, I'm sharing a bed with Saint Stefan," Damon looked absolutely disgusted.

Bonnie pushed Damon's arm off her and glared at him menacingly.

"Piss off, Damon," she snarled, wanting to aneurysm him badly at this point. "I'm still mad about what you did earlier. I should have _never_ trusted you for a minute to go back there with her. You're always telling people to trust you, and when they do, you do something stupid!"

"That was _yesterday_," he complained. "I kill people all the time! What's it to you?"

"That girl had a family to take care of-"

"So? No one cares anymore, Bonnie. The kids can get adopted or whatever, it doesn't matter."

"You're impossible!" she yelled at him, crossing her arms in defeat.

"And you're insufferable," he said, mimicking her by folding his arms as well.

"Maybe it was a mistake to go on this road trip," Elena whispered to Stefan while their friends bickered on.

"Maybe," Stefan sighed. "But there's nothing we can do now. I just hope they'll be able to get along a bit. I'm starting to get a migraine."

"Doubt it," Elena said unhappily, and she and Stefan jumped in shock when Bonnie's shoe smashed through Damon's window with Damon's cry of, "HEY! You can't aneurysm me _and_ throw shoes at my head!"

* * *

><p>"I know there's nothing you can do about it this time, but can you please get separate rooms for us in the future?" Bonnie begged, as they moved their luggage up to their room.<p>

Stefan looked apologetic as he held the door open for her.

"I'm really sorry, but we don't have enough money to get separate rooms for the hotels we're going to. I only have enough to cover the costs of one room, and we need the money for gas and tourism things. Damon's helping with the funds too, but we both know he's not going to pay for separate rooms."

_Damn his fine ass. _Bonnie gloomily nodded and started to set her stuff down. Just as long as Damon stayed away from her (and the chances were slim) things should be…dandy. Truthfully, she was more worried for Elena. Damon was still in love with her, and it wasn't really a good idea for him to share a room with her. With anybody, now that she thought about it. Speaking of the devil, where was he? And Elena? Bonnie straightened up, and Stefan echoed her thoughts.

"Where are Elena and Damon?"

"Someone call my name?"

Damon strolled into the room, carrying an angry struggling Elena in his arms. He flashed a toothy smile at the shell-shocked Bonnie and Stefan.

"Hellooo, Stefan. And hello to _you_, Judgy."

"Help, "Elena muttered, who had stopped struggling and looked plain beaten.

"Let her down. _Now_," Stefan commanded, and Damon stuck his tongue at him before letting Elena down.

_He must be in a good mood_, Bonnie mused to herself. Normally Damon wouldn't even listen to what people told him. Elena ran over to her, and she stepped in front of her protectively.

"Would it kill you to stop flirting with my girlfriend for one minute?" Stefan asked, looking livid now.

"Quite frankly, yeah," Damon said, plopping down on one of the two beds. "Oh, wait, I'm already _dead_. HA."

"Go hit the shower or something Damon," Stefan said irritably.

"In fact I will. Don't go peeping on me," he winked at Bonnie, who simply gave him an aneurysm, and Damon went wincing away.

"Bonnie…" Stefan said warningly.

"You said no aneurysms in the _car_. I should've done that to him at the diner…"

Stefan squeezed her shoulder gently.

"I know, I feel bad too. But just forget about it, Bonnie. Damon does that all the time."

Stefan then jogged back outside to get the rest of their stuff left in the car.

"You okay?" Bonnie asked her best friend, who was being quiet.

"Yeah, Damon was just playing," Elena said, digging around in her bag.

She pulled out a hair-tie and started to gather her long brown hair into a ponytail. After making sure no one else was listening, Bonnie leaned in toward Elena.

"You have feelings for Damon, don't you? I can tell," she asked softly.

Elena's doe eyes widened, and she looked resigned. She sat on the corner of the bed she and Bonnie were sharing.

"I think I do," she admitted. "Don't get me wrong, it's ALWAYS going to be Stefan for me, but I can't deny the fact that I feel this, this _chemistry _between me and Damon."

"Um, ok, even though I can't really see _anyone_ having 'chemistry' with Damon…"

Elena giggled, pulling Bonnie down to sit next to her.

"No, really. It's not like I LOVE him or anything…it's just I feel this connection with him," she tried to explain. "I know this is hard to believe for you, but underneath he's a really good guy. He just wants everyone to believe he's bad."

"Yeah, and it's working," Bonnie mumbled to herself, but Elena didn't seem to hear her.

"Bonnie…I kissed him."

"You WHAT?" she yelped, jumping up about an inch.

"I kissed him," Elena's deep brown eyes looked watery. "When… we all thought he was going to die because of that werewolf bite. I kissed him. But it didn't really mean anything…I just did it because I thought he was going to die…"

"Uh…"

Bonnie had no idea what to say. She knew Elena might've held feelings for her boyfriend's brother, but she didn't know it was like _this_.

"Damon's being really nice about it though," Elena put in quickly. "He hasn't told anyone, but I'm afraid I gave him the wrong idea."

"Knowing him, he probably already does have the wrong idea," Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Please don't tell Stefan," Elena begged, as she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her crimson V-neck. "I…I don't want this to hurt him, especially since that kiss didn't mean anything."

"I know it didn't, but Stefan has a right to know," Bonnie argued, frowning now. "Don't you think so?"

"I know, I know," her friend responded listlessly, now picking at an invisible loose thread on her shirt. "But… just promise you won't okay? It's only been a few days and there's already drama."

"Fine," she huffed, flopping over on the bed. "I'm too tired to argue with you, or anyone else for that matter. But you promise me you'll tell your vampire lover. He should know."

"I'll try," Elena said a little weakly, staring a hole into the ground. She perked up. "But, hey, we're in Kentucky!"

Bonnie chuckled, grabbing a fluffy pillow out of her bag. She never did like other pillows besides her own. They were all either too low or lumpy, or squishy. And she could not sleep with a weird pillow. She buried her face in it.

"You still going on about that?" she asked, voice muffled by the pillow.

"Well, yeah, it's the first time we've been out of the state for AGES," Elena said, whacking her on the back playfully, and Bonnie growled at her. "Aren't you at least a little excited?"

"Damon's ruined any chance of that," Bonnie groaned bitterly, green eyes dark with animosity.

Elena's face seemed dejected.

"Bonnie, you have to believe me that he isn't that bad a guy, and I know it's hard for you especially since what happened the other day…"

"Will everyone _please_ let that go?" Bonnie snapped at her friend, shooting straight up in bed. "I feel as bad as I could get-"

"But you don't have to! There's nothing you could have done-"

"There's _everything_ I could've done, Elena. And that's not the only reason I hate him! He almost killed all of us, he turned Caroline, he almost turned you, and the list just goes on and on! And you're _defending _him!"

"Bonnie, you're my best friend. Please, just try to get along with him!" Elena looked pained, and it made her look years older than she was. "Please. Just let it go."

Bonnie sighed, staring up at the ceiling. They were on a road trip with a _killer_. Her best friend was asking her to be friends with a killer. Why the hell not?

"Alright," she said, and Elena positively beamed. "But don't be surprised if I end up killing him. It's made it to the top of my to do list."

"Thank you," Elena hugged her tightly. "I'll know this'll be really fun for all of us! Let's change before the guys get back here."

Minutes later, Bonnie and Elena were lounging on the bed, both dressed in their pj's. Elena was on her stomach, earplugs to her i-pod in her ears and writing in her diary. Bonnie had pulled out her trusty sleek new laptop. It was a present from Jeremy, she remembered fondly. He had gotten it for her when Damon ruined her old one in a freak Starbucks accident. She turned it on and started to Skype her old friend. Almost immediately, Jeremy's handsome face appeared on her screen, and they began to talk.

"It's really good to see you," he was saying, gorgeous brown eyes warm with friendliness, and music was playing faintly in the background (The Strokes, Bonnie guessed.). "Well, we're not actually seeing each other, but you know what I mean."

Bonnie laughed, and saw Elena smiling mischievously out of the corner of a green eye. She knew she liked Jeremy. She always knew.

"So how have you been?" he continued, still looking adorable as always. "I mean, besides traveling with two killer vampires and my annoying older sister."

"I'm good for the most part," she shrugged. "We're in Kentucky right now. Your 'annoying older sister' wants us to do all that cheesey touristy stuff, and we're going to go to the Kentucky Derby."

"That sounds good," Jeremy said appreciatively, flipping his tawny hair to the side as it got in his eyes, and Bonnie giggled.

"Bieber much, Jer?" she provoked him, knowing how much he hated Justin B.

"Oh haha, Bonnie," he said, making a face at her, but he was cracking up. "Hey, I'm glad you're having as much fun as you can with Damon, though. The derby thing sounds cool. You better bring some souvenirs back for me."

"You got it," she said, and Jeremy's adorable dimples cut across his cheeks as he smiled at her.

Bonnie melted a little inside. _Why was he so cute?_ Why was she not his girlfriend yet? It was incredibly frustrating.

"And, uh, how are you doing?" she asked awkwardly, hoping her affection for him wasn't showing up on her face.

"Ugh. Summer classes are…well, summer classes. BORING," and she giggled again. "Honestly? Nothing is going on around here. I wish I was hanging out with you."

"Oh," she all but breathed, the thought hitting her like a train.

Jeremy wanted to hang out. With HER. Oh. Oh, my. But before she could do a happy dance right then and there on the bed, Elena snagged her laptop away from her.

"Hey, Jeremy. I've missed you too and all, but we really have to go now. Stefan's, uh, gotten himself stuck in a window so we have to get him out."

"Ok, then," her brother responded, looking disappointed. "Bye, Bonnie. Elena. Talk to you soo-"

Elena slammed the laptop shut, just as Stefan came back into their room, eyebrow raised.

"I'm stuck in a window now?"

Bonnie stared at her, and Elena simply shrugged.

"You were getting _killed_ out there. I needed to get you out."

"Well, thanks. Is Damon still in the shower?"

"Not anymore," Damon appeared, fully clothed (thank GOD), with his hair still damp. "Yo."

"What took you so long? You're like a girl," Bonnie complained, throwing a pillow at him, and he deftly caught it in ease.

"Hey, it takes a lot of effort to get this looking nice," he said, with an air of smugness.

"I agree," Bonnie said. "It would take a lot to make someone like you look good."

"You think I look good?"

"You're completely losing the point here."

Elena and Stefan exchanged knowing glances.

* * *

><p>Bonnie would have never known how awkward it could be sharing a room with the Salvatore brothers. She was fine with Elena; they had had sleepovers on numerous occasions. But knowing that Elena's boyfriend and his brother were sleeping just a few feet away from her was kind of bizarre. Her friends had succumbed to sleep as soon as they hit the hay, but she was having a much harder time. She tossed and turned, trying not to wake anyone in the process. She punched her pillow. She counted invisible sheep. She thought of one of Alaric's history lessons. Nothing was working. She lay there in the dark, listening to Stefan snore. Bonnie had no idea vampires <em>could<em> snore. You learn something new every day, she guessed. Finally, she felt the comfort of sleep lulling her away, and her eyelids began to droop.

"Bonnie?"

"Mmmph," she grunted in response, irritated by the voice. Couldn't they see she was finally getting some sleep? "Whaddya what."

"Are you asleep yet?" the voice asked again.

_Well, I'm getting there. Duh_, she thought, still annoyed. Bonnie vaguely registered the fact that the voice belonged to Damon, but at this point, she couldn't really care less. She needed to sleep.

"Nnnghh," she said again, and she heard Damon chuckle lightly.

"I see. Though "nnnghh" wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for."

"You get what I can give," she muttered, out of conscious now.

"Oh, haha. Bonnie, I…"

He mumbled something unintelligible, but it didn't matter now. She was almost gone, far off into dream land, where a smiling Jeremy held his arms out to her for a hug.

"…so I'm sorry I made you so upset. And no, Elena didn't put me up to this."

If she had been listening, Bonnie would have realized _Damon _was _apologizing_ to her, but she was with Jeremy on their first date… She thought she felt a cool hand stroke her face. But it was only for a moment, and then she was really gone…

"Good night, little witch."

**AN: And that concludes the third chapter! :D Haha, my computer auto-corrected Bieber to Bibber. And, no, Damon's not like liking Bonnie any time soon, he's still being nice to her for Elena's sake, since Bonnie's her best friend. But believe me, he does sincerely feel bad about making her upset over what happened the previous chapter, and kind of wants to really get along with her. You also got a taste of just how much Bonnie has a crush on Jeremy too. :) Haha. I did some research for all the Kentucky stuff, and the actual derby is in **_**May**_**, not June like it is in the story, but this is a little AU anyways, so let's pretend it happens in the summer. :) I hope I get all the other facts right, though! Please correct me if I'm wrong. xxxBeremyForevaxxx :Thank you for the review! I'm sorry, but Celine was just kind of there for the purpose of getting killed. So she won't be coming back. :( I don't really have a picture of Celine in mind, but if I find a pic, I'll post it. :) Thanks for the suggestion! CA is going to be near the end, though. Don't worry, you'll see jealous Damon sometime down the road. ;) As always, reviews and constructive criticism are very much welcomed! Thanks for reading, and see you in Chapter Four!**


	4. Kentucky:Horses, Witches, and Vampires

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or Kentucky Horse Park. **

"Please move."

"No."

"Move."

"No."

"MOVE!"

"NO!"

"Really?" Bonnie placed her hands on her hips and did her best interpretation of her grandmother's old "Sheila-Bennett-is-NOT-impressed" look.

"Yes, really," Damon looked down on her lazily, and Bonnie cursed her short height.

Well, maybe just Damon's height. How the heck was he so tall? He was only about twenty-four (physically, of course). Maybe vampires just had freaky height issues. Bonnie stared him down again.

"Damon. I _need_ to get out. Elena and I are going to hang around, and I can't do that, because YOU'RE BLOCKING THE FREAKIN' DOOR!"

"I like it here. The doorframe and I love each other," he responded innocently, still leaning against the doorframe.

"Why are you so…_you_?" she cried out in exasperation, anger penting up again.

"Isn't that a good thing? I love me. I'm a sexy, charismatic, bloodthirsty vampire who can do whatever the hell he wants, no?"

"I'm only going to agree on you with the 'bloodthirsty' part. Damon, please? You're wasting my time!"

"Nah. I don't feel like it," he answered, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Bonnie hit his bony shoulder blade out of annoyance, and he laughed. Okay, maybe trying to hurt him without the witch powers wasn't the way to go. Bonnie took a deep breath, and calmed down. They were stuck with each other for a very long road trip. She'd take Elena's advice about being his "friend." Then kill him.

"Damon? I would very much appreciate it if you would please move out of the way so I could leave the hotel room," Bonnie asked in her most polite, reserved for teachers and superior adults voice.

"Hmmm…" Damon stroked his imaginary beard, and Bonnie inwardly rolled her eyes. "Since you're being so very polite, I'll just have to say…."

She crossed her fingers that he was in a good mood and would let her go.

"…no."

"WHAT?" she screeched.

"It's just way too much fun screwing with you!" he grinned and patted her head as if she was a little puppy dog he found amusing. "You're so cute when you're pissed as hell!"

"I have had it with you!"

* * *

><p>Bonnie strode smartly out of their hotel five minutes later, leaving behind a badly burned Damon. Elena looked up from her cell phone as Bonnie approached. She looked concerned.<p>

"What took you so long?" she inquired, slipping the phone into her messenger bag and looping her arm through her best friend's.

"Damon, that's what."

"Oh. That explains a lot," Elena giggled, and Bonnie couldn't help but laugh along with her kind-hearted friend.

"Gee, thanks," a male voice interrupted, and the girls whipped around to find a grinning Damon.

"You again?" Bonnie made a face at him, and his grin grew bigger.

"I was bored. And since my annoyingly goody-two shoes brother is out planning stuff for the road trip again, I had no one else."

"HA! You friendless person," she snubbed him.

"First of all, I'm a vampire, not a person. Hello. And second, I DO have friends. They're just, you know, down there."

"Wow, that makes it so much better," Bonnie muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, now," Elena intervened, and she spoke kindly to Damon. "Of course you can stay with us, Damon."

He gave her a dazzling smile full of daisies and rainbows and sunbeams, and Bonnie wondered how such a manipulative, evil soul happened to belong to such a beautiful person. It was incredibly frustrating.

"So where to, my dear?" he bumped her with his shoulder.

"The Kentucky Horse Park," she answered bitterly.

"I thought you loved horses!" Elena exclaimed, confused.

"I do," Bonnie bit the inside of her mouth. _Just not with Damon._

"What a coinkidink! So do I," he winked at her.

"You son of a-"

"Alright, alright, let's just go," Elena hastily grabbed her friends' arms and dragged them off to the car, with Bonnie Damon still shooting sparks out of their eyes.

"This place is GORGEOUS!" Bonnie gushed, loving the beautiful scenery of the park.

"Not as much as you," Damon added in flirtatiously, and she ignored him.

"It's pretty," Elena agreed, pretty brown eyes flashing brightly with happiness.

Pretty was an understatement. The lush greenery, combined with the beautiful horses and sharp smell of freshly cut grass made Bonnie feel light with giddy glee. She loved horses. She thought them to be one of the most beautiful and intelligent creatures in the world.

"Isn't this place just _amazing_?"

"I'm glad to hear that, pretty lady," a voice hailed her, and she turned to face a kindly looking man with friendly brown eyes, who was clad in some kind of a western outfit. "It is quite a sight, isn't it?"

"I think it's beautiful," Bonnie said again firmly, and the man laughed.

"Horse fan? That's good. Some folks are rather squirmy around the things, though they're gentle as a lamb," he said. "Name's Ron, by the way."

"Bonnie," she said, bending forward to shake his outstretched hand. "I'm here with my friends."

Elena and Damon introduced themselves, and Ron shook their hands as well. He tipped the cowboy hat he was wearing.

"Pleasure to meet you all. I'll be your tour guide for today, showing you around the park."

"Who got this cheesey baloney guy?" Bonnie heard Damon rasp into her ear.

"Shut up. He's nice," she whispered back, trying to focus on what Ron was explaining on.

"He's going to start hitting on you, Bonnie. 'Cause you're both into horses and all that hooley-balooey."

"Shut up. He's like, Alaric's age. 'Hooley-balooey'? What are you, eight?"

"Nope, roughly 145 years old," Damon continued. "I think he's a nut who just can't get laid. He's totally going to be all over you, just watch. Pretty soon the only thing you'll be riding around here is-"

"I said _shut up_!" Bonnie snapped, and Ron and Elena both gave her similar confused looks.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked, still looking muddled.

Bonnie turned scarlet.

"No, no, no! Not you. _Him_," she jabbed the last word fiercely at Damon, who stood there looking beautiful and blameless.

"Ah. I see."

Ron just smiled, and motioned for the trio to follow him. Bonnie whacked Damon on the arm.

"Ouch. What is it with you and wanting to hurt me?" he said playfully.

"What is it with you and wanting to piss me off?"

He rolled his eyes and went ahead to catch up with Elena, annoying her instead. Good. Less Damon equaled more fun for her.

They spent the hour following Ron around the park, and Elena took gazillions of photos as they toured. _Maybe this road trip wasn't so bad after all_, Bonnie thought, smiling as she watched a mother horse help her child move along. The only thing she was worried about was riding… She loved horses, but she was terrified of riding them. She shook her head and continued watching the horses. The little one brayed at his mother and went along by himself. Then tripped. Damon much? Bonnie laughed, but her laugh quickly turned into a surprised gasp as she heard a yelp of pain behind her. _Elena._

"Elena!" she ran back towards her friend, but Damon, who was ahead with Ron, was quicker. They found the brunette sprawled out on the floor, rubbing her ankle while looking moderately sheepish.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Bonnie held out a hand to help her up, but Elena shook her head.

"I can't get up. I think I sprained my ankle," she said, looking apologetic. "I was taking pictures up on that rock over there, but I lost my balance and fell."

"It's a sprained ankle, all right," Damon looked serious for once, touching Elena's ankle with surprising gentleness. "I'll take you back, Elena."

"I'm coming too," Bonnie said, not wanting to stay at the park without her best friend and leaving her alone with the vamp, even though she knew he would never do anything to hurt her.

"No, you can stay," Damon said, shaking his head. "I'll come get you after I get Elena back with Stefan."

"What? I'm not going to stay without-"

"NO! Bonnie, I want you and Damon to stay. I'll wait for Stefan to come get me," Elena suggested, and Damon gave her a look. "Really! I'll be fine! You guys should have fun! I don't want to drag you down. Look, we haven't even gone riding yet!"

"But-"

"I can take the lady back if you want," Ron offered. "We'll get her ankle fixed up while you kids go riding. Besides, this gentleman here seems to know his stuff about horses. Go on ahead."

Bonnie didn't want to go along with this, but the stubborn look on Elena's face said otherwise. She sighed.

"Fine. Come on then, Damon," she grabbed his arm, but he remained stoic, eyes icy. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Please, I'll be fine," Elena said, and his face softened by a degree.

Elena was really good at persuading the boys. Damon reluctantly agreed, and he and Bonnie trudged up to the stables.

"Alrighty, then. Pick a horse and go," Damon said, already pulling himself up on a strong looking paint.

* * *

><p>Bonnie just stood there. He frowned.<p>

"Uh, hello? Earth to the witch? Did you hear what I just said? Go. Get on a horse and ride."

She mumbled something unintelligible, head down and flushing slightly.

"I got none of that."

The witch looked up, green eyes fierce.

"I don't know, okay?"

"You don't know WHAT?"

"How to ride. I don't know how to ride. I have never been on a horse my entire life, and I don't plan on doing it either. It scares the hell out of me."

Something inside him snapped. He smiled. Then grinned. And then he doubled over laughing. Bonnie looked appalled and angry.

"This isn't funny! Stop laughing at me!"

"Oh, come on! Bonnie Bennett, last of the Bennett line with the power of a hundred witches, and a self-proclaimed horse fan is afraid of riding? This is GOLD!"

"I like horses, just not riding them, okay? Just keep your trap shut about this!"

"I'll teach you."

"God, you're just so-wait, what?"

The look on her face was freaking priceless.

"I'll teach you," he repeated, getting down from his horse. "I'll teach you how to ride, Bennett."

"Oh, yeah, and pigs might fly. You'll get me killed!"

"No, I'm serious!" he said, stepping closer to her.

Why was she so damn stubborn about everything? She reminded him of…himself. It was infuriating, yet kind of endearing. Whatever. She didn't want to ride, so of course he was going to make her. He held out his hand to her, which Bonnie eyed warily.

"Well, go on, then. We don't have all year, you know," he said, and she took his hand, still looking suspicious.

There we go, he grinned, and he lifted her up easily.

"What the-? Damon! Let me down! What the hell do you think you're doing?" she struggled, but she was no match for him.

"I'm going to teach you how to ride!" he said cheerily, placing her on the horse.

She screamed. The horse looked annoyed and huffed. Damon pulled himself on as well.

"Grab onto my waist," he told her, grabbing the reins.

"When hell freezes over-AHHHHHH!"

And they were off. Bonnie grabbed Damon's waist. He smirked.

They were about ten minutes in when Bonnie finally remarked, "This isn't so bad."

Damon was about tease her, when he turned back to look at her, but he stopped. Bonnie looked genuinely happy, her eyes bright, and she was even smiling. She was actually kind of hot when she wasn't yelling her head off at him or trying to kill him. He tried not to seem too pleased when her arms will still tightly wound around him. And her legs were smoking… Dude. _Elena_. He cleared his throat.

"You want to try by yourself now?" he said instead, and she panic-gripped his waist, which he simpered at.

"No way! This is still really freaky."

Damon then slipped off of the horse, and Bonnie screamed again as the brown and white horse underneath her began to move.

"DAMON! DO SOMETHING!"

He sighed and took hold of the reigns.

"Hey, you really can't be screaming at me when I'm trying to teach you."

"GETMEOFFGETMEOFFGETMEOFF!"

"Calm down! I promise I won't let you get hurt. You're freaking the horse out."

The paint horse was indeed disturbed, with its ears laid back sharply. Bonnie patted it in apology.

"Look, it's not that hard. I'm going to give you the reigns okay? Hold them like this…"

Their hands fumbled against each other. Hers were warm. Bonnie paid close attention to his instructions, and he was pleased to see that she was a fast learner. She was already trotting the horse along (and without screaming like bloody murder, thank GOD), and Damon felt proud. They took turns riding for about half an hour until Justin Timberlake's Bringing Sexy Back cut through the peaceful quiet. Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"You betcha, kid," he chuckled, and picked up. "Yes, this is Damon sexy Salvatore, God's heavenly gift to women all over the world. Mmhmm. Oh, what a shame. Hope you don't get another forehead line from this, little brother. Ciao."

"Is Elena okay?" Bonnie picked up immediately that it was Stefan. Smart kid.

"She's fine," he said abruptly, though he felt bad about what happened to his doppelganger. Fudge it all. "Stefan wants us to come back."

"Okay," she said, getting off the horse now. "And, Damon? …Thanks for today."

"No problemo."

"I mean it."

Bonnie looked at him seriously.

"But just because you helped me out doesn't mean we're going to be friends anytime soon, got it?"

He smiled.

"Definitely."

**AN: Ack. Sorry this took me a while. :/ I've been busy with school lately. :( What did you think of season three's first two episodes? I liked them alright, but I was depressed because THERE WAS SO MUCH LACK OF BONNIE! D: Poor girl never gets any screen time! And I think Klaus needs a hug. Oh, and how do you guys feel about this story? I love this brain child of mine to bits, but I feel like I'm dragging it out and that it's getting kind of boring. :( Sorry about that, and I also apologize if I made any mistakes in this chapter. I know nothing about horses or anything of that sort. xD Well, I hope to bring you guys Chapter Five soon, and reviews/constructive criticism are very much appreciated! :)**


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